Twilight's Agents
by Heyvid21
Summary: RANGER'S APPRENTICE FANFIC. A mysterious new threat is revealed to the Kingdom of Araluen. A surprise kidnapping sets off a chain of events each more confusing and disturbing than the last. Friends, both old and new, must work together in order to survive
1. Prelude

Twilight's Agents

By: Heyvid21

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ranger's Apprentice. That honor belongs to John Flanagan. This story only takes place in the world he created.

**WARINING: **This fic contains a few spoilers from AFTER Oakleaf Bearers. I'm pretty sure that book is no out in the US yet, but you can find it online here in America. If you go to the right site, you won't have to pay overseas shipping if you want to buy it.

PRELUDE:

Kyran's heart hammered in his chest, and probably for the hundredth time, he reflected on the madness of the situation. Although his joints ached, he didn't move a muscle. Within the shadows, no, more like a part of the shadows, he looked down at the room below him. His breathing was muffled by the thin piece of dark cloth that covered his face below the eyes.

Absently, he realized it was far too late to turn back now. It had been his idea to pick this target, and Tori had agreed wholeheartedly when he had convinced her he was serious.

He grinned beneath his mask. The sheer audacity of this plan was something that appealed to them both. That was one thing that made the two of them such a great team. The way they both thought was as if one could read the other's mind.

Voices suddenly brought his mind back to the present reality, and his grin vanished as his green eyes narrowed in anticipation.

"I'll be out as soon as I change," the soft, feminine voice called to someone else outside the room where Kyran waited in the rafters.

"That should only take a few hours," a more rough but still youthful voice replied with a laugh.

"Careful, Horace," a third voice teased, "She'll have you scrubbing the stables if you carry on like that."

"Or worse," the first voice again, "I've heard the kitchens could use another potato peeler for the feast's preparations. Just think, you'd be down there for hours and hours."

There was a laugh followed by a fourth person's voice. This one another girl, "I don't think that would be much of a punishment for Horace. He's been sneaking off to the kitchens to see a certain someone every chance he gets."

Kyran ignored the blustering from Horace that followed this statement, and instinctively matched the names to the voices and filed them away in his brain. The last voice had belonged to Alyss, a royal courier of some renown. Said the be the direct apprentice of Lady Pauline. She was one to be wary of.

The first male voice had belonged to Horace. A young, recently appointed Knight of the Castle Arulan. It was said that he was the prize student of Sir Rodney from Castle Redmount. Kyran would have to be very careful with him so close by as well.

However, it was the second boy's voice that Kyran knew held the most threat to the current mission. Will Treaty. Ranger Apprentice to none other than Halt, the legendary Ranger. There were whispers throughout the kingdom, that Will was quickly becoming as skilled as his teacher. There was no room for mistakes with one such as him around.

Just then, the door to the room in which Kyran hid, opened, and the bearer of the first voice entered. Her long blond hair was clasped behind her neck with a simple, yet somehow elegant, silver clasp. Her lips were still upturned at the corners in a smile, as she closed the door behind her and looked around.

In spite of why he was here, and the seriousness of the situation, Kyran could not help but notice how beautiful the girl was. Even dressed in her riding clothes, she seemed to radiate her presence into the entire room.

"Helga?" the girl called as she glanced around again, surprised not to see the maid rushing forward to help her out of her clothes.

The blond sighed as she spotted her maid slumped over the knitting table in one of the corners. A half empty bottle of wine was still clutched in her unconscious right hand, and two more empty bottles littered the floor.

The girl started walking towards the sleeping woman. Kyran had planned this. He had positioned himself so that the girl would have to pass directly under his concealed position in the rafters to reach her maid.

Quickly and without a sound, he drew a small dagger from his waist, and as she passed beneath him, Kyran dropped to the floor. In one fluid movement, he grabbed the girl's arms and pinned her hands together in his left.

With his right, he pressed the the dagger to her neck and whispered in her ear, "It's an honor to meet you, Princess Cassandra. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like it if you could accompany me to for a walk tonight."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **There's the Prelude. A new OC, and the original crew, stay tuned for the first chapter. I should have it up this week sometime.


	2. Choosing Day

**TWO YEARS EARLIER**

Chapter 1

It was midmorning, which meant the traders and craftsmen had been up for hours, and business was reaching its peek hours. The sites and the sounds of the capitol city of Araluen might have proven a bit overwhelming for someone not accustomed to them, but not for the young boy who had lived there his entire life.

Kyran strolled down the bustling city street. His manner was casual, but one who payed close enough attention would, for the briefest of seconds, catch his eyes shift quickly to the left and then to the right. His face remained calm and relaxed as if he were simply a bored errand boy, running a task for his master.

If asked about him, someone would probably say that he just looked like a normal boy. His dark hair was no different than dozens of other boys his age, and no one would notice those striking green eyes unless he made direct eye contact, or they were watching him very carefully.

In fact, he seemed so ordinary, that no one noticed when the sleeve of his tunic seemed to brush up against a nearby fruit stand. The stand's owner continued his bartering with a dubious customer, not realizing one green apple was missing.

Kyran allowed himself a tiny, self-satisfied grin as he added the apple to the loaf of bread tucked inside his tunic. Today's breakfast may have been meager in some people's eyes, but Kyran didn't care. At least he wouldn't have to eat it with his ward mates.

The grin on his face slowly faded as his eyes noticed something to his right. Two children, a boy and his little sister, were sitting against a wall at the edge of the street. Their grimy hands were outstretched as they begged the the passing people for some money or a bit of food.

It was a scene not all that uncommon in the city. Although the kingdom was prospering, there were still those living in poverty. These kids were probably just looking for something to fill their bellies while their parents tried to make some coin for dinner that night.

"Pathetic riff-raff," Kyran heard a nobleman mutter as the press of the crowd pushed the aristocrat a little closer to the begging children than he obviously wanted to be.

A twinge of anger flashed across Kyran's eyes, and he came to a decision in an instant. Casually, as if jostled by the crowd, he lightly bumped into the nobleman.

"Your pardon, excellency," Kyran muttered, careful not to make eye contact.

"Be more careful, boy," the nobleman snapped, but Kyran had already moved passed and vanished into the crowd in the opposite direction.

A few seconds later, the two children sitting on the street's edge didn't quite know what happened. They saw the hand reach down and place an apple and a loaf of bread into the girl's upturned palms and a hefty sized money pouch into her brother's, but as their bewildered eyes looked up to thank the generosity of the stranger, he had already disappeared with the passing crowd.

Kyran didn't look back. Instead his eyes wondered up towards the view of Castle Araluen towering above the city. He wasn't particularly pleased about no longer having a breakfast, but somehow, he still felt satisfied as if he had already eaten.

"Ah, well," he said to himself, "I guess I better get this over with. Choosing Day is supposed to be important to people like me."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choosing Day was indeed important for city wards such as Kyran. Orphaned by war, the children living in Araluen's ward were given the chance, in their fifteenth year, to be selected by the craftmasters of the castle.

If they were selected, they would apprentice under the master of the craft they were chosen for. It meant a life with a future. A chance to make something of themselves. However, if they were not selected, they would go to the fields outside the city and work as a hired hand. There was little future in that life, and often times, one would abandon the life of hard labor to become a bandit or highwayman.

This year there were only two wards of the right age to go before the Craftmasters. Kyran was, of course, one of them. The other was his ward mate, Bardon. The two of them may have lived in the same ward their whole lives, but they were far from friends.

As Kyran sat in the waiting room on the opposite side from Bardon, he reflected on what it had been like growing up. Bardon was the one everyone expected to succeed. He was strong, outgoing, and imperial. He appeared to be very hard working, and often made a good show helping others.

Kyran knew that truthfully, Bardon was little more than a glorified bully. He often used his popularity within the ward to get what he wanted, and could make life miserable for those who did not jump to his whims.

It was probably the reason for contention between the two boys. Kyran had refused to be pushed around by Bardon, and Bardon had, in return, attempted to ruin his credibility to anyone he knew.

_I guess I didn't make it very hard for him. _Kyran thought as idly played with a hole in the wooden bench he was sitting on.

Kyran simply hadn't cared enough that Bardon was trying to ruin his reputation. He didn't care that the other boy had started rumors that he was a thief and a pickpocket. In fact, it amused Kyran how frustrated Bardon would get with his apathy, and eventually he started stealing just to infuriate him even more.

From there it had spiraled farther and farther out of control. He started stealing, pickpocketing. Over time, he had gotten good at moving without people noticing him in a crowd. Picking locks had become second nature to him, and making stealthy escapes in the the night was all a matter of moving with the shadows.

Kyran chuckled to himself as he had managed to let Bardon know of his exploits but somehow had never managed to get caught.

"What's so funny?" Bardon snapped from across the room.

Kyran looked over at the taller boy. His blond hair was combed neatly, and his broad shoulders were squared towards the smaller boy.

"Ah, nothing really," he replied in a bored tone as he ignored Bardon's sneer, "I was just remember all our fun times together."

"If I were you," Bardon retorted, "I don't think I'd be laughing. There's no way any Craftmaster would take you. You've gotten into way too much trouble. Even if they've never been able to pin anything on you, you've been under suspicion too much."

Kyran sighed but didn't bother answering. Bardon was probably right. He wasn't expecting to be picked by any of the Craftmasters. He would probably be sent off to fields to plow wheat or something. Kyran didn't know what he would do, but he knew he wouldn't stay with that life for long. There was just no way he'd be stuck plowing a field for the rest of his life.

The boys were snapped our of their thoughts when the door to waiting room opened and Lord Anthony entered.

"We are now ready for you, boys. Please follow me."

Bardon snapped to his feet and immediately stood behind their summoner. A bit more slowly, Kyran stood and followed the two of them out into the dining hall of Castle Araluen. He was immediately surprised by the number of people that had shown up. The large hall was nowhere near as crowded as it would be during a normal meal time, yet at the first and second long tables, a good amount of faces all turned to the two boys as they entered.

_I guess quite a few Craftmasters are looking for Apprentices this year, _Kyran thought, _Not that its going to make a difference._

As they drew closer, he began to recognized a few of the faces. First, of course, was King Duncan himself. Kyran had heard that the King liked to attend the Choosing ceremonies, but rarely had the chance to.

To the right of the King was Castle Araluen's Battlemaster. No surprises there. The Battlemaster attended every Choosing, always looking for new recruits.

Kyran recognized several others, the Chief Cook, the Stablemaster, the Armorsmith, several lesser craftmasters he did not recognize, including a short overweight man who was laughing at a joke he had just shared with his peers, all of whom were laughing heartily.

It took Kyran a few seconds to notice the man standing towards the back of the group. He was shrouded in a strange cloak that seemed to blend and shimmer with its surroundings. The boy's mouth dropped open as he recognized Crowley, the chief of the Ranger Corps, and Ranger serving Castle Araluen. It was strange for a Ranger to attend a Choosing Ceremony unless they were prospecting a potential Apprentice.

Kyran repressed a laugh as he pictured tall, muscular Bardon in a Ranger's cloak sneaking around with a bow on his back. But then again, there was no chance that Kyran was going to become a Ranger either, he thought as a familiar flash of anger flared up within.

"Please stand here," Lord Anthony said as he gestured to the appropriate spot, "When you are called, step forward and state your name."

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the two boys made for quite a contrast. Bardon, tall, broad-shouldered, blond hair and brown eyes. And Kyran, shorter, slightly slouching, dark black hair, and striking green eyes.

"Let's start with you, son," King Duncan said as he gestured to Bardon. His voice was naturally loud, but held a gentleness Kyran had not expected.

Bardon eagerly stepped forward. When he spoke his voice cracked with anticipation, "My name is Bardon, sire. And I would like to become a Knight."

Some of the Craftmasters looked disappointed, as if they were hoping that they would have a chance to recruit them for their own craft.

The Battlemaster paced around to examine the young boy, "Well," he mused, "You've got the build for it. Battleschool is a long, rough ride. Do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

"Yes, sir!" Bardon practically shouted.

"Good spirit. Report to me tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."

Kyran thought that Bardon looked far too pleased with himself, but it didn't really matter. He realized absently that this was probably the last time he was going to see his ward mate of nearly ten years.

"Now, you, boy," Lord Anthony beckoned.

The smaller boy stepped forward, "My name is Kyran."

Kyran looked at all the faces turned towards his. He didn't shy away from what he knew this would end with. He knew he wouldn't be chosen, but he wouldn't let them think that bothered him. He noticed that the Ranger Crowley was eying him a bit more closely than before.

"Is there any craft which you wish to pursue?" Lord Anthony prompted, obviously thinking the boy had forgotten.

Kyran shrugged, "Not really."

There was an audible gasp from the assorted Craftmasters followed by disapproving whispers. It seemed they thought the boy before them was being very rude.

Lord Anthony recovered enough from the surprise answer to speak, "Ah, yes. It says here that you have a small history of minor theft," more disapproving whispers, "also a few notes on disrespect for authority. Not a very good track record, my boy."

Kyran didn't answer. He had expected this. There was nothing to really say.

"If you do not have a preference, I will now turn it over to the Craftmasters to decide. Is there anyone who like to take this boy as an Apprentice?"

Out of the corner of his eye Kyran imagined he could see a self-satisfied grin on Bardon's face. This was beginning to become uncomfortable. He hadn't really thought rejection would actually feel this bad. Desperately, he hoped he wouldn't give Bardon the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

The Craftmasters sat in stoic silence, some shaking their heads. It seemed no one wanted a rebellious orphan causing trouble for them. Now, for the first time, Kyran began to feel anger towards Bardon for ruining his reputation. His green eyes searched the crowd of faces, hoping to find one that would take him.

"No one?" Kind Duncan spoke this time. His eyes looked sad, as if he didn't want to see the boy publicly rejected and sent to work in the fields for the rest of his life. Suddenly, Kyran felt deep affection for his King, knowing that even though he was the ruler of an entire Kingdom, he cared for a single castle ward.

"Ah, what the heck?" every eye in the room turned to the source of the voice. Kyran recognized the short, fat man he had seen on the way in.

"I'll take the boy," he had a rich, kind voice, the kind that was accustomed to sharing jokes and laughing, "The tavern's been gettin' good business lately, and we're short on help. What'd'ya say, boy? Want to become a Brewmaster?"

Kyran felt a strange mixture of relief and confusion. He had never been inside a tavern before and had never really thought about what went on inside them. Then he noticed that Crowley was watching the Tavernmaster with narrowed, suspicious eyes. This more than anything else, helped him come to his answer. If Crowley was suspicious of a mere Tavernmaster, then it was probably worth looking in to.

Kryan nodded his assent and the jolly looking man flashed a wide smile, "Good, good. Meet me down at the docks at seven in the mornin'. You'll be lookin' for the _Salty Horizons_ tavern. You can't miss it."

And although neither of them knew it, that very same night, many miles away, another boy in Castle Redmount was beginning an Apprenticeship that would change his life forever as well.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **If you didn't notice from the start, this chapter takes place 2 years before the Prelude. It's just a bit of background on my OC. There's going to be one more short chapter, and then I'll be jumping back to where I left off in the Prelude. As always, please R&R.


	3. Apprentice

Chapter 2

The jolly Tavernmaster had been right. The _Salty Horizons _tavern was hard to miss. Sitting in the middle of the dock's busiest district, the two story structure was easily one of the largest buildings in sight. Not that the storehouses and smaller bars and shops that surrounded it made it all that hard.

As Kyran walked through the double, oak doors his senses were accosted by an atmosphere much different than the one outside. The large room was filled with small round tables crowded with people drinking, laughing, or passed out sleeping. Barmaids weaved their way in and out of the throng of tables bearing large pitchers of frothy, brown liquid. And in the two separate corners two jongleurs were entertaining anyone who would listen to their music.

Kyran realized he had stopped in the doorway and looked around for his new craftmaster. Not finding him amid all the chaos, he gradually started making his way towards the bar hoping to ask someone for help.

He was almost there when a young barmaid accidentally bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry young sir," she said brightly flashing him with a dazzling smile, "I didn't see you there."

She was shorter than Kyran and looked to be about his same age, perhaps a little older. He noticed with mild interest that her hair had once been red as he could still see traces of the color at the roots, but she had dyed the rest a dark shade of black.

Her slightly freckled cheeks dimpled as she grinned again, "What's the matter? Never seen a barmaid as pretty as me before?" And she have him a playful push on the shoulder.

Kyran grinned as his cheeks turned slightly red, "I'm sorry. It's just tha--"

He stopped his explanation short as he felt her small fingers of her free hand deftly snake into his pocket while she distracted his attention with her playful push.

The move was so subtle that he almost hadn't caught it. In fact, he realized, it was probably only because he had used that same technique on occasion that he did notice it.

Quickly, Kyran grabbed her wrist before she could withdraw her hand with her prize of a few silver pieces.

What happened next came as a complete surprise. Rather than try wriggling free, the girl's smile actually broadened.

"Oh, yes, it would seem he was right about you," she said sweetly as she pulled close to the bewildered Kyran and took his arm, "Come, I'll take you to him, he's been waiting for you to get here."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl with dyed black hair led Kyran to behind the bar and down into the wine cellar. Spaced lanterns offered the only dim light available. Kegs of wine and fermenting alcohol lined the walls and were arranged in rows to open paths to the farther reaches of the cellar. They ranged from the small standard-sized wine bottles to the massive kegs, bigger than a horse.

Kyran's mind was racing, and he wanted to ask the girl a great many questions. However, for the time being he couldn't even think of what to start with so he remained silent. As the two of them headed for the back of the dim wine cellar, he wondered what kind of person he would be meeting.

His thoughts were stopped as they reached an ordinary looking wooden door at the far end of where they had entered. Without a pause the girl pushed the door open and led Kyran arm-in-arm into the small room.

A small, cedar table sat in the center, cluttered with papers, ink wells, and wax seals. Kyran thought he recognized the royal seal of King Duncan on one of the parchments, but that couldn't be right.

The walls were covered with maps and extremely detailed drawings of people's faces. Some of the pictures had things like "Whereabouts: unknown" written below the faces.

However, Kyran's main attention was on the three people sitting at the table. They looked up as he and the girl entered. Immediately, Kyran recognized one as the overweight Tavernmaster from the Choosing Ceremony. The other two, one a man, thin, sitting with a casual slouch but with an alert, sharp expression on his face, and a woman, tall, blond, elegant, and very beautiful, he had never seen before.

"Ah, good good, Kyran, my boy," the Tavernmaster greeted warmly, "welcome to the _Salty Horizons_."

Kyran merely stood there not knowing what to say or how to respond. This was all too strange, the girl who had tried to pick pocket him and the meeting in the dim cellar's back room.

"The poor boy must be near confused out of his mind," the elegant woman laughed charmingly, "Come, sit down, you two, and we can try to explain."

The girl obediently sat next to the lady who had spoken and Kyran reluctantly took a seat next to the silent, thin man.

"I'm afraid," the Tevernmaster began, "that I haven't been entirely truthful with you, Kyran."

_That seems to be an understatement._ Kyran thought to himself as he reflected on the situation.

"First, allow me to introduce you to everyone," the Tavernmaster leaned back in his chair, "My name is Gai Hall, at least that's what people around here know me as. This lovely lady is the enchanting Lady Cassidy," Lady Cassidy flashed a perfect smile at Kyran, "My quiet friend over here goes by Kell Giffen," Kell made no movement or acknowledgment that he had heard anything, "And I believe you have already met our young Tori."

Tori rested her elbows on the table and leaned in to examine Kyran sitting across from her, "He's already pretty good. He caught me before I could get his money."

"'Course he is," Gai Hall replied, "We don't choose half-wits to be Apprentices, although sometimes I wonder about you, lass."

At the last comment Tori's smile vanished and she sat back with a huff. Kyran still had no idea what was going on. Were these people thieves? They seemed an unlikely group, especially Lady Cassidy, he couldn't picture her picking any pockets.

"Uh, what am I Apprenticing for again?" Kyran mumbled not sure who he should address the question to.

The room suddenly felt more serious at the question. Everyone was looking at him now. The overweight Tavernmaster, at least, that's what Kyran thought he was, leaned forward as Tori had done and looked Kyran in the eyes.

"As you probably have figured out by now, I'm not a Tavernmaster. Well, not primarily. The three of us," he motioned towards Cassidy and Kell sitting on his right and left, "we're a part of a small force of Araluen's Kingdom known only to the King himself. We're called Agents."

Kyran had never heard of an Agent. But somehow the word intrigued him and he sat silent and waited for Gai Hall to continue.

"Our organization was formed around the same time the second King of Araluen was on the throne. It was an unstable time and corruption and treachery ran rampant throughout the Kingdom. The Ranger Corps were overwhelmed with both keeping tabs on political traitors and guarding from invasions. The King saw the need for a new group to do what the Ranger's could not because they were in the public eye and could not have their positions compromised."

The man paused, perhaps to allows Kyran to take in what was being said.

"What the King needed was a group that could target known traitors that the Ranger's had identified, but had no proof of their treachery, and dispose of them," Kyran took a sharp intake of breath but remained silent, "He formed the Agents, highly specialized individuals that could get the task done and leave no traces leading back the King. Since their formation, only fifteen Agents are in the organization at one time, and we've been around ever since."

There was another pause and this time Kyran sensed that the alleged Tavernmaster had finished speaking. If Kyran's head had been spinning before, now he was completely floored. A secret organization known only to the King.

"This is your choice," his attention was snapped back. It was Kell who had spoken for the first time. His voice was low and clear, "We've been watching you for awhile now. Lockpicking, pick pocketing, moving unnoticed in crowds, these are all skills necessary to our work. Even when you steal, it is only from those that can afford it and you give to those in need, like this morning. This displays loyalty to the Kingdom rather petty theft."

Again Kyran was floored. They had been watching him. They had seen him that morning stealing from the nobleman. Yet somehow this knowledge left him feeling relieved. These people had watched him, and had seen that did not do it for himself. They said it displayed loyalty to the Kingdom. And as he thought about it, he realized it was true.

"Like Kell said," Gai was again speaking, "This is your choice. This Apprenticeship is no easy task, but we think you fit right in. So what do you say?"

Kyran had already made up his mind. These people were different. They understood him, almost better than he understood himself. He thought if he joined, perhaps he could leave his old life of apathy behind and find meaning in a cause to fight for.

"Yes," Kyran said firmly looking Gai in the eyes, "I think this is something I've been looking for my whole life."

All four of the other faces were grinning at him now. It was as if his answer was something each of them could understand.

"Good good," Gai Hall replied, "Your training starts immediately. Tori here has been Apprenticing with us for nearly half a year now and she and you will be partners. I will be teaching you basic social behavior. To be an Agent, you will need to learn to pump people for information. For that to work, people need to like you. I also specialize in some unique tools you'll learn about later."

"It's my job to teach you unseen movement both at night and in broad daylight," Kell Giffen continued, "You will learn stealth and speed. My weapon training includes daggers, concealable crossbows, and swordsmanship."

"And me," Lady Cassidy smiled her perfect smile, "I will be teaching you how to forge needed documents, as well as how and when to use the tools Gai will be showing you how to make," she paused and added coyly, "I'll also be teaching you how to talk to the typical noble lady. Seduction, can be a powerful tool in our trade."

Even in the dim light everyone at the table could see Kyran's face turn a deep shade of red. Laughter erupted from all except Kell, who as usual betrayed no expression.

Tori reached over and pushed him on the shoulder as she had done when he first met her, "Welcome to the team, partner. Make sure you can keep up with me."

Kyran smiled. He felt as if at this moment, he was beginning the rest of his life.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **This one's short and maybe a bit dull. If you thought so, I'm sorry. The next should be longer and more exciting. Stay tuned and R&R!


End file.
